PROJECT TITLE:  Voces Bolivianas (Bolivian Voices)

YOUR NAME:   Eduardo Avila w/Mario Duran and Hugo Miranda

TITLE:  Co-Founder

YOUR ORGANIZATION: Bolivian-American Project

WEB SITE:  www.bolivian-american.org

Why are you seeking Rising Voices funding? How will your project benefit the community you are targeting? (100 words)

 

The Bolivian blogosphere has grown over the past year.  Many more voices have been brought out into the open.  However, the majority of those new voices still come from a small section of the population that is better connected and has more opportunity to learn about blogs.

 

Many Bolivians still rely heavily on traditional media to get their information and draw conclusions to what is happening within their own country.  Often this information is sensationalist in nature, and many consumers fail to hear the words, thoughts, and ideas of ordinary Bolivians.

 

Voces Bolivianas will be a positive step forward in providing the opportunity to Bolivians from underrepresented areas that have not previously used these technologies.  The opportunity to actively learn and participate in blogging and producing multimedia content will allow them to present themselves on their own terms.

 

The first pilot program will take place in El Alto, a fast growing city of immigrants, which has often been portrayed as combative and conflicted.  Participants from this city will experience and witness the power  through internet technologies to tell their own stories to each other, the rest of the country, and the world.

What kinds of news, stories, information and other content will your project provide? Describe your vision for the content. (250 words)

 

The content comprised of blog entries, podcasts, photos, and videos produced from the project will come directly from the program's participants from their own point of view, where they will talk about their hopes and dreams for their own lives, communities and for the country. The content will reflect what life is like on a daily basis in El Alto demonstrating that they have much in common with the rest of Bolivia.  Participants will be encouraged to write from their own point of view, but also to engage members of their community and tell their stories, as well.

 

During a series of four bi-weekly sessions that will last three hours, the coordinators will introduce the concept of blogging, and show examples of the use of blogs.  Participants will be able to have a hands-on experience by using the internet terminals, as well as participate in field excursions to use digital cameras and voice recorders.  Between sessions, program participants will receive internet vouchers to be redeemed at partner cafes where they can put into practice what they have learned at the Saturday sessions.

 

In addition to the blog entries, podcasts and photos created by the program participants, the project coordinators will maintain their own separate blog.  It will act as a supplement and added commentary that will include information regarding the process of establishing this outreach project in Bolivia, so that others may choose to replicate the model.

 

Who will generate the content? Who is the target audience? How, and how often, will it be distributed? What language(s) will it be available in? (300 words)

 

The content will be produced by the program participants on their own individual blogs.  All of the entries will also be aggregated to the front page of vocesbolivianas.org, and selected content will be translated into English and Aymara (a native language spoken in the region).  A broad cross-section of residents of El Alto will be invited to participate in this project, however, it is expected that the majority of the participants will be university-aged students.  The program will be free to all participants, and modest transportation reimbursement will be provided to each participant.  Twenty participants will be invited to participate in the 2-month program.

 

The target audiences will be threefold: 1.)  Other El Alto residents that will be able to see that they have the power to represent themselves.  2.) Others in Bolivia, who have often stereotyped and generalized members of El Alto.  3.) Members of the global online community.

 

The frequency of publication will be daily.  Participants will be given internet coupons that may be redeemed at various partner internet cafes where the students can access the internet free of charge.  During this time between sessions, students will publish and receive assistance from the coordinators, who will act as mentors and as technical resources.

 

What kinds of participation and interaction do you expect from the readers/listeners/viewers of your content? How will you encourage participation? (75 words)

 

Participants will be taught about comments and encouraged to comment on one another's entries.  Program staff will look for publicity opportunities that will provide coverage of the participants' work, which will in turn, motivate the students to write and create content. 

 

The project will be featured and presented to the Bolivian blog community, who will be asked to publicly comment and encourage the participants.

 

Comments will be moderated to ensure that no offensive language appears on the site.

 

What is your knowledge of your target community? Why are you the best individual/organization to lead this project? Do you have prior experience in citizen media outreach? (100 words)

 

The two coordinators reside in Bolivia. Mario Duran currently lives in El Alto and Hugo Miranda lives in Oruro.  Their involvement with Bolivian blogs dates back for two years. Between the two of them, they actively work on close to 20 blogs. Duran has also given lectures on blogging to various groups in El Alto, and has begun to approach municipalities about their interest in bringing these lectures to their communities.

 

The project director, Eduardo Avila has been blogging since 2004, and is currently the Latin American Regional Editor for Global Voices Online.  His commitment is displayed in bringing blogging and other internet technology to underrepresented groups through the Cathedral Scholars Program and the Emerging Leaders Program.

 

Describe what technologies and tools your project will use to produce the content What kinds of technical skills and expertise do you bring to the project? What are your technical needs? (100 words)

 

The majority of the participants will not have home internet access, so internet café partners will be utilized for the Saturday bi-weekly sessions and for the individual internet time. In addition, digital cameras with video capabilities and flash memory voice recorders will be used to capture still photographs, videos, and podcasts that will be uploaded as content.  The program coordinators have produced podcasts, photographs and blog entries on their own respective pages.

 

How will you measure and evaluate your project’s impact – on your main participants? other contributors? on the larger community? How many participants do you expect to be involved in your project? How will you seek and sustain their involvement? (200 words)

 

According to unofficial estimates the city of El Alto currently has 10 blogs, many of which are maintained by the same author.  The main evaluative measure will be the number of blogs and blog entries that are created and maintained over the course of the two-month project.  Follow-up after the project ends will be essential to ensure that the blogs continue, which will be encouraged through additional opportunities for internet access.  For selected participants, the digital cameras and voice recorders will be awarded, which will be an incentive to produce high-quality work and making it easier to create content in the future.

 

Some of the participants will be encouraged to be part of future outreach programs and help continue to teach others about these tools.

 

Another evaluative measure will be participants' attitudes towards these new technologies. A pre and post-test will be provided to measure the participants’ attitudes towards the ability to express themselves, as well as their comfort using internet tools.

 

What challenges do you expect to face, and how do you plan to overcome them? (200 words)

 

One immediate challenge would be the unfamiliarity of program participants with these new web technologies.  However, through hands-on workshops where each participant can sit in front of their own terminal, this will allow each of them to become better accustomed to computers and the internet.  Facilitators will also be on hand to assist the participants along the process.

 

Access to the internet – Many in El Alto do not have home access and often lack the economic resources to utilize an internet café.  By providing vouchers allowing the participants to access the internet and work on their content in their free time, the students will be able to access the net to create content.

 

Steady continuation – There is often difficulties in maintaining user participation and excitement through the duration of the project and beyond.  Through incentives, such as the awarding of digital cameras to top participants, it will allow them to remain enthusiastic. and involved in the project.  Becoming part of the project community and larger Bolivian blog community will also provide additional encouragement.

How do you plan to sustain your project's content after the Rising Voices funding has ended? Detail specific plans. How do you plan to raise revenue to continue your efforts in the future? (300 words)

 

The pilot program will provide ample information to be able to replicate the program in other cities and regions in the country.  Through the publicity and demonstrated success, outreach will be made to various institutions, universities, and municipalities interested in bringing Voces Bolivianas to their communities.  In addition to the content produced by the project, the coordinators' blog will provide information about the process allowing others to replicate the outreach project.

 

Partnerships will be explored with other blog communties throughout Bolivia, which will allow for additional outreach projects to take place in other parts of the country and with other underrepresented groups. 

 

Costs for internet use is very low in Bolivia.  Partnerships with organizations and companies that may be able to donate cameras and voice recorders will help lower the cost of future projects, which would make it easier to replicate and sustain.

 

The creative use of advertising will also be explored.  The revenues generated from sources such as Adsense will be put back into funding the projects.

 

 

What resources and support can Rising Voices provide to your project to ensure its success? (200 words)

 

Rising Voices can help facilitate communication between the various outreach grantees in order to access advice and support.  It can also help the project find partners to donate digital cameras or voice recorders for continued sustainability and expansion.  In addition, technical support with curriculum would be very helpful, such as the creation of easy-to-use tutorials. 

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